“You’ll regret this,” she hissed, dialing. “Yes, there’s been a theft. Significant amount.”

Daniel and I moved to the back row and sat quietly.

“She’s been angry at me since September,” he murmured. “She wanted me to tell her who posts jokes about her in the class group chat. I wouldn’t.”

I wrapped an arm around him. “She won’t hurt you.”

I stepped into the hallway and made a call of my own.

“Colonel Nathan Brooks,” the voice answered after several rings.

“Nathan, it’s Carlos Rivera.”

A pause. “Carlos? After all these years. What’s wrong?”

“My son’s been accused of theft at school. Police are coming. I need this handled by the book.”

“I’ll be there.”

Twenty minutes later, two patrol officers entered the classroom. Ms. Hill’s tone shifted instantly.

“That boy stole from me. His father is covering it up.”

One officer began taking notes. “Ma’am, what exactly is missing?”

Before she could elaborate, the door opened again.

Colonel Nathan Brooks stepped inside in full uniform. The principal trailed behind him, visibly uneasy. The patrol officers straightened immediately.

“At ease,” Nathan said calmly, then turned to me. “Explain.”

Ms. Hill’s confidence faltered. “He took money from my purse—”

“Are there security cameras in the hallway?” the colonel asked the principal.

“Yes.”

A laptop was brought in. The footage began playing.

10:12 — Daniel enters with the attendance sheet.

10:13 — he leaves less than a minute later. Hands visible. Empty.

10:35 — the janitor enters with cleaning supplies.

10:50 — Ms. Hill returns.

Nathan leaned back.

“Less than sixty seconds,” he said. “Enough time to locate a wallet, remove five bills, conceal them, and leave unnoticed? Possible. But unlikely.”

Silence settled differently now.

“Rewind one minute before the student enters,” the colonel instructed.

The screen showed Ms. Hill hurrying out of the classroom. Her purse sat on a chair beside her desk. The zipper was partially open.

“Pause,” Nathan said. “Was the bag secured when you left?”

“Of course,” she replied too quickly.

“The footage suggests otherwise.”

Whispers rippled among the students.

The video continued. The janitor entered, moving the chair to mop underneath. For a few seconds, the purse left the camera’s direct view.

“We’ll need hallway footage as well,” Nathan said. “Complete timeline.”

Ms. Hill’s face drained of color.